Activity Book for Families Army Women Army Children Before you enter the first room of the Soldiers and Chiefs exhibition, find two of the figures on the large glass panels in the introduction area: a drummer boy from 1811 and a woman soldier from 2001. Both of them are soldiers in the army. But a woman could not have been a soldier in the drummer boy s army. And a boy could not be a soldier in the woman s army. Explore the galleries to find out when children and women could be soldiers (in an army, wearing a uniform, and carrying a weapon) and when they were connected to the army as civilians (not military people). My Name: Find out about the changing roles of children and women. tective Be a History De Notice that over the past 300 years some things stayed the same while others changed.
Soldiers and Chiefs Galleries To find the children and women in the galleries follow the numbers shown on these plans of all the galleries. The numbers on the plans match the activity numbers. The title with each plan is the name of that gallery. Note to Adults: Answers to the activities are on the back page. First floor Introduction The British Garrison in Ireland Warfare in Ireland Irish Soldiers in Foreign Armies 3 4 1 6 3 1 3 2 3 5 The Wild Geese Irish in the American Civil War Irish in the British Service Balcony Taking Flight 9 8 7 The Irish Wars The First World War Ground floor Claiming the Future The Emergency: The Second World War Defending the Peace 10 10 14 13 11 10 12 1916 The Easter Rising You can find explanations of military terms in the booklet, 'Military Speak', a glossary to accompany these Activity Books, which is available at the start of the exhibition or at Museum reception.
Children & Women in 'The British Garrison in Ireland' 1 Drummer Boys Many soldiers began their army careers in the 1700s and 1800s as drummer boys. They could join military organisations when they reached the age of eight. How many scenes with drummer boys can you find? Clues Three are on the Stokes Tapestry (the large textile in the middle of the room). Another is on a cloth with scenes of soldiers in a ceremony (hanging at the back of the display case Part-time Soldiering ). 2 Military Manoeuvres Look for a painting of children on a panel called 'Mixing with the Locals'. The artist, Richard Moynan, shows an encounter between a group of boys and a soldier with his girlfriend. What do you think? Do the boys respect the soldier? Would they like to be soldiers themselves? Why don't the three girls play with the boys? You can see this painting in the National Gallery of Ireland. 3
Draw one of the four different musical instruments that the boys carry. What to Look For The expressions on the boy s faces and how they stand The musical instruments made by the boys compared to the real ones in the army band in another painting (behind the lifelike figure of a bandsman) 3 Children in Garrison Towns Draw a line from the drawing to the correct description of the child. Attending a military school Riding in a military ceremony with his mother, Queen Victoria Shopping at Moran s with his soldier dad Look around the room to find the other two children. Hint: they are life size. Where to Look The walls A lifelike figure of a boy 4 Army Wives Find the panel 'Garrison Families' and compare the living conditions for the wife of an officer to that of a family of an enlisted soldier. An officer is a soldier who commands enlisted soldiers.
Add a tick to the chart as you find each answer. Officer s wife Size of room Comfort of room Privacy of room Location Large Small Comfortable Not Private Not In the Not in comfortable private barracks barracks Enlisted soldier s family Was the person at the door of the barracks room an invited visitor? Why did the soldier s wife hold a wooden spoon behind her back? What To Do Compare the furniture in the two pictures. Count the children in the enlisted soldier s family. Notice the uniform and the look on the face of the person at the door. You are in The Royal Barracks The rooms on this floor of the museum once were living quarters for enlisted soldiers, including some with families. More than one family lived in a room this size, with the space between them divided by a curtain. Children & Women in 'Warfare in Ireland' 5 Women in Battle Examine the battle scene on the first panel beside the doorway. What would you do if enemy soldiers attacked your town? Hide in your house Help the soldiers on your side of the battle to fight the enemy Leave town to get away from the fighting
The women shown in this painting decided to help the soldiers defend the town of Limerick in 1690. What weapons did the women use to fight the enemy? What else were they doing on the battlefield? Facts Women were not allowed to be soldiers. Women sometimes became involved in wars. 6 The Croppy Boy s Story Find the lifelike figure of the prisoner in the centre of the room and read the label at his feet: 'Croppy Prisoner, 1798'. What do you think? Before he joined the army, would he have gone to school or worked? Does he look as if he was rich or poor? If the enemy does not execute him, where will he be sent? Could he join the army today? Clues and Facts His face and posture His clothes His likely future Today you can join the army at 17 (with your parents' consent) and at 18 years old (without their consent). Children & Women in 'Irish in the British Service' 7 The Drummer Boy s Job The drummer in the big painting 'Listed for the Connaughts' was a soldier in the Connaught Rangers regiment of the British Army. One of his duties was to help the recruiter enlist men for the regiment.
A regiment is a group of soldiers in a permanent unit with its own history and traditions (like a school). If you were a boy in 1878 would you have been qualified to join the army? Use a tick to answer these interview questions to discover if you could have joined: Do you have flexible wrists? Can you walk a long way without resting while carrying a drum? Do you follow orders without question? Guess which one of these duties was not part of the drummer boy s job? Gave the rhythm when his regiment marched Gave signals in battle Played in the regimental band Played at special occasions on parade or in the mess 8 Women's Roles At the display called 'Army Families Overseas' find out how women from families of soldiers in the British Army were expected to spend their time. Who would have used the washboard to do army laundry? an officer s wife an enlisted soldier s wife Was the woman who wore the jacket in the family of an officer or of an enlisted soldier? When would she have worn this jacket? Compare her jacket to the officer s uniform jacket in the next case (to the left). Draw the parts of both jackets that are the same. 7
Clues and Facts Read Margaret Kirwin s description of her typical day (on the washboard label). Compare the shape, cuffs, and collars of the jackets. Women were near the battlefield only because they were married to a soldier. Wives of enlisted soldiers were expected to do laundry and nurse the ill and wounded. 9 A Drummer in the Boer War Look at the displays about 'Khaki and Repeating Rifles' at the end of this room. Draw the drum, which was carried by a drummer boy named Luttrell (we don't know his first name). Look closely at the drummer boy in the photograph on the label. What was he doing on his drum? Children & Women in 'The First World War' 10 Three Young People at War Look at the people on the wall to your right as you walk into the space called 'The First World War'. Molly, Sean and John each took part in conflicts during this time. Whose story would you like to explore? Molly O Reilly 'A Moment to Remember' Sean Healy 'A Child at War' John McLoughlin 'A Short Life and a Slow Death' Select one person and answer these questions: a) Where did they serve? British Army an Irish nationalist organisation 8
b) What was the job assigned to them? c) How was the object in the case related to their story? d) How old were they? Where to Look The photographs The objects associated with each person The descriptions on the panels 11 From Making Dresses to Making Shells Look for information about Florence Lea in the small panel 'From Making Dresses to Making Shells'. Compare the photographs of Florence and her co-workers to the photograph of the women at work in the National Shell Factory, Dublin on the panel 'The Crisis at Home'. How many people can you see working in this room of the factory? men women How much money did Florence earn as a dressmaker s apprentice? How much money did she earn as a worker making artillery shell casings? Why do you think that young women could earn so much money at jobs like this one? Clues The practical working clothes worn by these women The number of men, compared to women, shown in the shell factory The description of Florence Lea s jobs and salaries on the label
Women in 'The Emergency: The Second World War' 12 Irish Women at War Find and draw the medal awarded specifically to nurses. Compare the symbols on the veil and the hat. Which one did the nurse in the Army s auxiliary force wear? Veil Hat Facts Women could enlist in the army s auxiliary services, but not as soldiers in the Irish Defence Forces. Some women joined the Red Cross to serve as nurses during the war. 13 New Roles for Women in Wartime What are the three jobs for women shown on the panel 'Irish Men and Women at War'? 1. 2. 3. Which job do you think was the biggest change from the way women were expected to act at that time? Find the British Army s recruitment poster for women drivers in the 'Mechanised Transport Training Corps'. How does the poster make the job look exciting? What do you think? Do you think that Norah Pellew s volunteer job as an army driver was dangerous? Yes No 10
Clues The women wear uniforms suited to their jobs. Look at the equipment in the pictures. Compare the photograph and documents about Norah Pellew to the recruitment poster. Women in 'Defending the Peace' 14 Women Soldiers Look for a woman's uniform in the display about 'Peacekeeping in the Lebanon'. The woman who wore this uniform served in Lebanon with her fellow Irish soldiers. Look at the badge on her uniform to find her name. Which Battalion did she belong to? Facts During the 1980s the Irish Defence Forces (and armies in other countries) began to recruit women. They had the same training as men and served as soldiers in peacekeeping missions abroad. Looking Back Over Time Do you remember the boy soldier from 1811 and the woman soldier from 2001 that you saw at the beginning of the Soldiers and Chiefs exhibition? Now that you have looked at several stories from the past about Irish women and children, and their roles in the British and Irish armies, did you notice an interesting change? In the 1800s boys could join the British Army as soldiers, but women could not. During the first half of the 1900s young boys could no longer enlist as soldiers, but neither could women. Later in the 1900s, and today, women can join the army as soldiers, but boys cannot. 11
Check your answers with the History Detective s Report 1 Drummer Boys 6 The Croppy Boy s Story Drummer boys (3) on Stokes Tapestry: a single figure on parade (on the left side, near the centre), in battle, and drinking He probably worked on a farm. Probably poor; his clothes look ordinary Australia No, he is only a teenager 15 or 16 years old. Drummer boy on the hanging cloth standing beside a single horse 2 Military Manoeuvres The 'leader' of the boys seems unhappy or annoyed, either with the soldier or with the other boys. 7 The Drummer Boy s Job He did not normally play in the regimental band. 8 Women s Roles The other boys seem serious about playing at being soldiers because they made the kinds of instruments used by soldiers in an army band. The wife of an enlisted soldier probably used the washboard. Girls and women could not join the army. Maybe the boys would not let the girls join the band! She may have worn this military style of jacket on military occasions. She was probably the daughter or wife of an officer. Both jackets have: A short tight shape, a short coattail at the back, and the same kinds of cuffs and collars The women and girls are curious because they have stopped to look, from a distance. Four musical instruments: flute, cymbals, trumpet, drum 9 A Drummer in the Boer War He used the surface of the drum to write a letter. 3 Children in Garrison Towns Attending a military school: the standing boy who holds a book 10 Three Young People at War Shopping at Moran s: a silhouette on the wall 4 Army Wives Officer s wife has: large room with a variety of comfortable furniture; complete privacy; did not live in barracks Enlisted soldier s family has: cramped quarters for seven people and only basic furnishings; no privacy; lived in the barracks No, the man at the door was an officer conducting a surprise inspection. She probably told the children to behave or she would hit them with the spoon. Molly O'Reilly a) A member of the Irish Citizen Army (ICA) b) James Connolly (the head of the ICA) asked her to raise the flag over Liberty Hall, probably as a reward for her loyalty. c) This is what remains of the flag. d) A young girl Sean Healy a) A member of Fianna na héireann, a republican youth movement b) He was a runner, carrying messages between Volunteer units c) The hat was part of the Fianna uniform d) 15 5 Women in Battle Rocks Helping the wounded John McLoughlin a) British Army b) He was a Private in the Royal Irish Rifles. c) He wore this scarf in the trenches of the First World War battlefield. d) 16 he was too young to enlist and joined without his parents permission 11 From Making Dresses to Making Shells Two men and eight women Two shillings a week (plus room and board) 50 shillings a week During the war the government hired young women to make weapons because the men were away. 12 Irish Women at War The olive hat is an army hat. A civilian nurse who worked for the Red Cross organisation wore the white veil with a red cross. 13 New Roles for Women in Wartime Chopping trees Nursing Driving a truck Recruitment poster: open car, smiling driver, Norah s job: probably dangerous 14 Women Soldiers Magennis The 53rd Infantry Battalion tective Be a History De ANSWERS Want to know more? For more information on exhibitions and education programmes, contact the Education and Outreach Department of the National Museum of Ireland. Tel: 01 648 6453 Fax: 01 679 1025 email: bookings@museum.ie Education and Outreach Department, National Museum of Ireland, Dublin. 2008 12 Cover image: Queen Victoria and a son in a military ceremony, a detail of the Stokes Tapestry, National Museum of Ireland